Zapiro clearly misses the plot

Opinion / 11 July 2012, 2:47pm

ZAPIRO’S latest cartoon depicting President Zuma as a male organ is not only disgusting and vulgar but is making a mockery of “press freedom” and “freedom of speech”.

Pres Zuma’s personal lifestyle and his moral standards (or the lack of it) do not give anyone the right to humiliate him in person and as a father and especially as the democratically elected president of South Africa.

I am a white Afrikaner, proud of my heritage (or shall I say most of it), not a supporter of President Zuma or the ANC, but I cannot sit on the sideline and see the president of my country being so humiliated and the culprits getting away with it.

I get the impression that Zapiro is seeing how far he can stretch his “right to freedom of speech” before he is stopped.

What Zapiro does not (want to) understand is that with “freedom of speech” comes a huge “responsibility” which he clearly ignores. Enough is enough!

Zapiro and the Mail & Guardian should publicly apologise to President Zuma and the nation and/or be charged with contravening the Press Code of Conduct. As we say in Afrikaans: “As jy nie wil luister nie moet jy voel (If you do not want to listen you must feel).” Finish and klaar!